Kel Smith
Principal, Anikto LLC
Presented at CSUN 10 Conference in San Diego, CA on March 24, 2010
I have this theory that thoughts are sort of like little sponges. When you drop a sponge into a glass of water, it expands and takes up the entire volume of the glass, sucking up all the water. Thoughts that become assumptions are like this as well; they expand and encompass the entire volume of the skull, eventually disguising themselves in our minds as facts.
This happened to me about a year and a half ago.
As a usability specialist, I recognize the danger of making assumptions and acting without all of the data. I did this with respect to virtual worlds, which to be honest I always found a little creepy. I could never comprehend what people found so addictive about sims, which to me represented an unhealthy distraction from real life problems.
I'm reminded of this quote by Rubenstein and Hersh: "In the absence of detailed information we all work from assumptions ... we tend to design for ourselves, not for other people."
My attitude was most certainly jaundiced by such stories describing the unsavory sexual and economic practices that seem to accompany any mention of virtual worlds and gaming.
In the summer of 2008, we saw the passing away of Harriet McBryde Johnson — noted attorney, author and accessibility advocate.
Ms. Johnson wrote something about people with disabilities being provided the opportunity to seek pleasure in life: "We need to confront the life-killing stereotype that says we're all about suffering. We need to bear witness to our pleasure."
I remember writing this quote down in my notebook and not giving it much thought afterwards.
That same week, I was invited to attend the opening of the Virtual Ability Island in Second Life. While there, I had the opportunity to meet and interview many folks in attendance.
Illustration: Opening of the Virtual Ability Island in Second Life.
This led to more intensive research into the ways people seek participation in virtual worlds for more altruistic purposes, such as people with Asperger's who want to practice socializing.
Or people with disabilities who find that their limitations and inhibitions disappear when finding fellowship online.
Not to mention the use of virtual worlds for therapy, for example people with autism who use virtual worlds to develop greater communication skills.
Finally, I learned about US veterans who have been helped through the use of virtual environments and communities.
I discovered that there is a whole subset of virtual worlds participants who take full advantage of 3D immersive spaces — not just for the entertainment value, but to build community and cultivate social connectivity. This covers a wide range of disabilities and conditions: visual impairments, motor skill disorders, degenerative illness, limited mobility, cognitive difficulties and people undergoing long-term rehabilitation.
I've spent the past year (or so) researching and interviewing folks involved with virtual worlds for PWD. What follows are some of my findings.
First — we must define what a virtual world actually is.
A virtual world is a three-dimensional immersive environment, usually accessed through a computer.
Virtual worlds are not exactly games, although they utilize certain elements and design principles associated with gaming technology.
The difference between virtual worlds and games largely hinges on the objective and intentions of the user.
The design principle of a game is to continue building a series of barriers. As a user becomes more accomplished, the program's difficulty is supposed to increase. Otherwise, it's not much of a game.
Virtual worlds are different. The objective of a VW is largely user-initiated, providing engagement with the environment and other participants. The experience is less structure and largely self-initiated.
Virtual worlds are populated by proxy personae known as avatars. It is through avatars that virtual world users navigate their environment. The environments are primarily visual in nature, although there are increasing use cases for auditory and touch inputs.
It is very important to note the multiplayer aspect of virtual worlds — in this sense, they become more an example of social media than strictly a gaming mechanism. Furthermore, virtual worlds are being increasingly used for education and training among corporate organizations.
There are many virtual world platforms currently in the marketplace, all for different demographics of users. Some are more game-based, others less so. Some are appended to existing social media sites such as Facebook.
For the purposes of this discussion, nearly all of my research tended to dovetail towards the Second Life platform developed by Linden Lab. Most of the prototyping and testing exists within SL; as a brand, SL is often thought to be ubiquitous with the mention of virtual worlds. That said, I state this with all appropriate caveats — I do not work for Linden Lab, nor am I endorsing SL as being more accessible than any other platform.
In a 2001 paper, Marc Prensky introduced the concept of digital immigrants and digital natives. Those who have grown up with the Internet, email and multiplayer games comprise the group called "natives," while others (the "immigrants") must constantly adapt their mental model to compensate. Digital natives are also more comfortable using complex game interfaces and tend to build their social fabric using online means.
Inspired by these ideas, a professional games programmer and research fellow at the University of Sussex named Gareth White devised the term digital outcasts. These are users with disabilities who are left behind, due to technological innovations that advance quickly but remain inaccessible.
While the evolution of immersive software continues to grow in both scope and infrastructure, the hardware must also maintain pace in order to accommodate users with disabilities. There is no shortage of devices that assist users with disabilities in accessing computer hardware.
However, other industries have not kept pace. Unfortunately, gaming input devices for the blind are not a priority for game developers; few games support their use and affordances for the blind are not usually considered during the development lifecycle.
Which is odd, considering that over a fifth of game players surveyed recently self-identify as being disabled. According to a 2008 Information Solutions Group survey of 13,296 players, this is the specific breakdown:
With thousands of dollars spent in the US alone on alternative means of input, hardware for the blind has gained some mainstream visibility of late within the gaming community.
Efforts have been helped by Linden Lab releasing the Second Life platform code as open source, allowing for more experimentation among development project teams.
Studies have revealed significant barriers to entry in Second Life, particularly in areas where information was presented graphically rather than with textual equivalents. Although Linden Lab has released test-to-speech functionality as part of their source code, only a few interface elements provide this interoperability by default.
Among the investigations are the development of haptic interfaces — inputs that utilize a user's sense of touch through a series of embedded sensorial perceptors.
For an example of a haptic interface, consider the Novint Falcon. This 3D touch device allows a user to interact with in-world objects via a joystick, attached to the main body via three motorized arms on hinges, offering players the ability to "hold" or "pick up" objects through force feedback responses. The effect is realistic enough to simulate weight and texture, and its use has been investigated in Second Life as a possible alternative to the keyboard.
Users with hearing impairments may one day benefit from an IBM platform called SiSi (Say It Sign It). SiSi translates spoken or written words into British Sign Language, using speech recognition technology to animate an avatar in real time during chats, speeches and digital broadcasts.
View a video demonstration of SiSi.
Another recent development is Virtual Worlds User Interface for the Blind, a prototype user interface developed by a division of IBM called alphaWorks. Described as an "accessible rich Internet application" (ARIA), the program runs in a Web browser and provides basic navigation and communication functionality. Using elements already familiar to blind computer users, information from the environment and other avatars is loaded as text and interpreted by screen-reading software. The interface is navigable using keyboard inputs, and the thin-client application minimizes load time on the user's computer.
An application called TextSL allows Second Life users with visual impairments the ability to interact using the JAWS screen-reader.
Illustration: screenshot of TextSL, a way for blind users to access Second Life through the JAWS screen reader.
Members of an Italian research team have been working with the Second Life source code to create two avatar controls called Blind Walk and Blind Vision. Blind Walk measures and responds to feedback upon impact with objects and other avatars. Blind Vision senses the vibrations from objects through a sonar probe, receiving signals of varying strength depending on an object's proximity. In tests with blindfolded users, orientation and collision benchmarks have proven to be successful even among large groups of avatars.
In the summer of 2009, a coalition of four groups called Virtual Helping Hands announced the release of "Max," a virtual guide dog for users of Second Life.
Illustration: Station at the Wheelies nightclub in Second Life where users can acquire Max, the Virtual Guide Dog.
Max helps visually impaired users translate information via text-to-speech technology by "reading" signs, describing immediate surroundings and locating a player's proximity to items of interest.
Illustration: Textual data being picked up by Max indicating nearby objects.
Such developments as Max bring to mind the importance of textual interoperability across virtual environments, not unlike the assigning of ALT text to Web images.
Illustration: Highlight of specific textual data interpreted by Max, such as a bell stand, a vendor and an advertising placard.
Then there are developments in cognitive computing — the ability to affect change in a virtual environment by intersecting with thought neurons of the brain.
View a video demonstration of cognitive computing.
This is an OXOGrip kitchen utensil. It was designed for people who work in professional kitchens who frequently suffer from stress-related repetitive hand injuries. Interestingly, many consumers find these tools to be useful as well. This is a textbook case of Universal Design: the idea that if we design for users who must overcome the highest degree of physical challenge, we'll improve the experience for all users. It's a broad-spectrum, holistic approach for designing inclusive experiences.
August 2008 marked the launch of Virtual Ability Island, an environment in Second Life created by the Alliance Library System (ALS) and Virtual Ability, Inc. (VAI) to help residents with disabilities become acquainted with the platform.
The island was designed visually and experientially to offer the best benefit to users with disabilities. More SL environments are being developed in accordance with Universal Design principles.
Such environments contain the following such features as wide ramps scalable for avatars in wheelchairs ...
Illustration: The welcome area of the Virtual Ability Island offers flat, wide pathways for avatars in wheelchairs ...
... wide ramps for wheelchair access ...
Illustration: View of the ramps leading to Second Life's Hellen Keller Day event.
... bright high-contrast signage more easily trackable by users with visual impairments ...
Illustration: The welcome area of the Virtual Ability Island offers signage at a height, angle and color scheme more accessible to users with impaired vision.
... information presented in multiple forms, such as Wheelies, a nightclub for PWD (note sign language in the welcome message) ...
Illustration: Scene from Second Life's Wheelies island. Wheelies is a nightclub in Second Life frequented by participants with disabilities, who often depict their avatars with wheelchairs and guide dogs. Many avatars meet here to discuss topics of mutual interest, both in-world and in real life.
... and smoothly landscaped walkways to accommodate many types of users.
Illustration: The amphitheater of the Virtual Ability Island offers flat, wide pathways for avatars in wheelchairs, with a minimum of such physical barriers as rocks, steps or fences.
I was telling a colleague about all of this stuff, and she had a very interesting question for me ...
"What is the point of providing Universally Designed virtual experiences?" she asked. "If I had a disability, I would use that opportunity to create a more adaptable avatar. Isn't that what most people do in a fantasy world anyway?" Well the answer is yes and no.
First — consider that from a development standpoint, creating specification guidelines with Universal Design principles in mind has several benefits. It ensures a baseline modality for such tasks as listening to audio playback, viewing visual material, comprehending written information or interpreting the context of an event. For these folks (especially for new users), there is measurable benefit in offering every ergonomic advantage to their experience.
For those who rely on voice recognition software or alternative input devices, a larger or brighter avatar on the screen can be more precisely controlled. Game interfaces are frequently designed to accommodate customization; interface malleability is often programmed into the console to remap functions at the player's whim, and this personalization is often extended to the presentation layer itself.
It's also important to consider the various ways users of virtual worlds approach their respective disability. People who have had a disability since birth consider it a part of how they perceive themselves, and some prefer to have their avatar appear that way.
Illustration: two avatars in wheelchairs conversing in Second Life.
For such users of virtual worlds, the appearance of disability is largely a matter of respect. The appearance of an avatar with a wheelchair or guide dog can be very important to users who view their disability as an integral part of their identity. One user stated, "I don't know how to be nondisabled and I've never wanted to be. It's important that people know it's part of who I am, so I've go to look the part."
Illustration: Simon Stevens, owner of a disability firm in Coventry UK and a Second Life avatar named Simon Walsh, choosing to represent himself in-world with a wheelchair.
I've discovered that users who take the time to customize their avatar's appearance and personality become more emotionally connected with their experience, making them more likely to adhere to the experience of navigating a virtual world. That investment resonates on a highly personal level.
There is another side to the disability equation, however, and it plays to this idea of fantasy. People with disabilities and chronic illnesses bring various mental and emotional approaches to their specific conditions. Factors include the nature of the condition, how it was acquired, length of duration and perceive level of hardship on family/caretakers. These nuances have an impact on both behavior and personal outlook with regards to virtual worlds and avatar representation.
Fantasy is, in and of itself, a Universally Designed entity because it applies to disabled and nondisabled people alike. Everyone dreams about what they cannot do. What is a fantasy, after all? For some, it is the ability to fly, breathe underwater, or date attractive models. For others, it is the ability to wake up in the morning free of pain, or to communicate with someone besides a home care nurse. Also consider the importance of distraction as a method of pain management.
Illustration: Inspire Space region in Second Life.
It's an interesting premise to explore, this notion of digital representation that becomes interchangeable with ourselves. Vivian Sobchack, media theorist and film critic, once wrote that "even the most ordinary images find their value, their substance, their impetus, in the the agency and investments of our flesh." She was speaking partly about something called decorporealization - that point in which a media object, such as a photograph, depicts a persona that is at once representative and interchangeable with our identity of self.
It's an intriguing idea, and it carries over to other digital disciplines such as Facebook. The more closely a user can identify with her avatar, the more likely she can transcend herself to a context of extraordinary proportion.
As theatre director Robert Wilson states, people are intrigued by the notion of the self. It is in these scenarios where liberation and self-actualization of identity takes place. People in virtual environments do this through their avatars, transcending their real-life states into something deeply personal and resolute.
About ten years ago, psychologists discovered what is now referred to as the "rubber hand illusion." They found that by putting a rubber hand on a table with a subject's real hand, and by stroking both simultaneously the same way, the subject would begin to feel sensations from the fake hand. There is a thought that this research could have applications in virtual reality as it applies to multisensory integration — how the eyes, skin and muscles respond to digital simulation.
During a recent study at the Brain Imaging Lab at Dartmouth College, twenty volunteers were asked to participate in a virtual environment while hooked up to a monitoring system. At random points in the experience, distractions to their digital body were introduced and their responses measured. It was discovered that the strength of the rubber hand illusion was highly dependent upon how closely the virtual limb resembled that of their real hands.
The experiments suggest that virtual worlds may become useful for people learning how to use a prosthetic limb. Kristina Caudle of the Brain Imaging Lab said, "A human-like arm that couldn't bend any finger or arm joints would be much less likely to engender the rubber hand illusion."
Some researchers are beginning to investigate virtual worlds as a clinically valid method for rolling out fully integrated support networks.
The idea of the avatar being closely tied to physical body identification is a fascinating thing to consider. Mark Dubin is a professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado. He designs haptic interfaces for people with disabilities, with the knowledge that the brain will develop neurological responses to virtual worlds similar to those experienced in real life.
View a video explanation of how the body responds to avatar impulses.
Whenever I speak with someone in a virtual world and they take the time to tell me about themselves, I always make a point to thank them afterwards. I had one person in Second Life thank me back, saying "Thank you for this practice. I have autism, and it's great for me to connect with other people using SL."
Perhaps serving as a tipping point for the way users will ultimately view the Internet, virtual worlds have found a strong and enthusiastic audience among people with cognitive disabilities as well as those living with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
Illustration: View of the Autism Society of America's library in Second Life.
Predominant among people with ASDs are those who have difficulty processing memory, experience mild to severe interaction anxiety, have limited attention spans and cannot effectively control their emotions. They use virtual worlds to practice social interaction, learn about common etiquette, overcome initial awkwardness and translate anxiety productively. They do this through such new forms of articulation as text chatting, avatar gestures or speech-to-text.
I discovered early on that virtual worlds users with ASDs are a fiercely protective group, and many of them find a sense of fellowship and community within their virtual networks. The folks they connect with every day become a part of their extended digital family. There are some people with ASDs who believe that the relationships they form in virtual worlds are more meaningful than those in real life.
Illustration: View of the Autism Society of America's library in Second Life.
I attribute this to a buffer of anonymity that allows some people to open up during sessions. These users then feel free to exhibit behavior in-world that they might be otherwise reluctant to convey.
One interesting example of collaborative learning involves a group of nine adults with cerebral palsy, ranging from 30 to 70 years of age, who share the use of a Second Life avatar named Wilde Cunningham. Through the sponsorship of a Boston day-care program called Evergreen, the group members take turns controlling Wilde as they navigate their in-world lives: building houses, meeting with friends, even simple acts such as walking and dressing themselves. Observers reported an improvement in the group's confidence after six months of participation, which has carried over to their real life experience.
Virtual communities offer meaningful involvement to people with disabilities, some of whom may otherwise live in isolation. For example, many Second Life groups offer special events.
Illustration: Scene from Helen Keller Day in Second Life.
GimpGirl provides a valuable resource for women with disabilities as a forum for advocacy and companionship. Among the activities at GimpGirl's Second Life are social events, art happenings and outreach sessions. Many of their initiatives operate in parallel both in-world and in real life.
Illustration: GimpGirl community in Second Life.
Brigadoon is an island in Second Life that provides a safe environment for visitors with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (AD/HD) who are trying to build confidence necessary to explore real world social skills.
Illustration: AD/HD support center in Brigadoon, Second Life.
The use case within the accessibility space is strong and increasing. In fact, ISN Virtual Worlds is currently rolling out a platform specifically for the elderly and disabled. Funding also will be applied to communication and development campaigns.
Above all, though, people can interact relatively free of risk and find community among folks for whom it may not otherwise exist. What I've heard most is someone telling me, "I've always wanted to be a part of a group that understood what it's like to be me." Virtual worlds provide benefit to people with disabilities (and their caregivers) who use these environments and communities to discuss their experiences with others who understand them.
While technological innovations are exciting, it's important to keep in mind the benefit that barrier-free virtual environments provide. People with disabilities have the opportunity to escape their bodies, if they so choose, or to celebrate their unique gifts among peers. It really comes down to finding a sense of empathy among others, no matter what the platform.
In the end, as designers of inclusive environments we are making allowances to attributes a person cannot readily change. It goes beyond 3D environments or the appearance of avatars; it's really about behavior and how that behavior is enhanced or manifested by technology.
With this in mind, I'm going to pose some questions for consideration ...
We are all familiar with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0). One might argue that immersive environments should be governed by the same principles as other Web-based media, as governed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Remember these aspects with regard to Universal Design. If media is designed to accommodate users with challenges, the overall experience will be holistically improved for all users. WCAG 2.0 indicates that online media must adhere to the following design principles:
Should these design principles apply to virtual worlds?
WCAG 2.0 is comparatively easy to follow when dealing with text-based websites. In fact, it's almost impossible to achieve at least baseline accessibility when XHTML and CSS best practices are employed.
But how do we begin to address WCAG principles in something that looks like an authentic space? How do we assign textual data to one tree versus another, or create some form of metadata standard that can be applied to such tools as Max the Virtual Guidedog?
Illustration: Scene from Japan Temura region in Second Life.
Perhaps an answer can be found in the semantic standards being proposed by the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative. Perhaps there is opportunity to create a text-based standard that can be interfaced by virtual tools. As virtual worlds become increasingly prevalent, shouldn't there be a governing body to investigate (if not drive) the broader conversation of online inclusivity?
Something else of note: in late 2009, a visually impaired gamer sued Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) on the claim that virtual environments should be a form of public accommodation. The lawsuit claimed that SOE had ignored repeated requests to modify its games, which resulted in a lack of public accommodation for gamers with "disability impaired visual processing."
While this case hasn't yet (and likely will not) resolve to the same level of fidelity, I couldn't help but recall the class-action suite brought against Target Corp in 2006 that resulted in a $6 million settlement. In deciding to hear that case, Judge Marilyn Patel of the District Court of California created precedent that a commercial retailer could be sued if an e-commerce website was not made accessible.
Could we one day see a parallel between the Sony case and that which took place between the National Federation of the Blind and Target Corp? Will virtual worlds be one day held to the same accessibility standard as a destination website?
Something else to think about: virtual environments are being increasingly used to conduct online meetings, training and customer insight sessions. IBM is one of 14 companies currently using an Enterprise version of Second Life for such purposes. The use of avatars in the workplace is becoming increasingly commonplace, particularly among cross-functional teams distributed all over the physical world.
A recent Gartner Newsroom article, in fact, indicates that by 2013, 70% of US corporations will have some sort of guidance in place dictating fair and appropriate use of virtual environments in the workplace. There is increased attention being paid to virtual work environments that take on characteristics of games.
Gartner mentioned that avatars in the enterprise will be more commonplace in the near future, particularly among cross-functional teams that don't have the budget or logistics for long-distance travel: "Looking ahead, one of the biggest uses of avatars appears to be for online meetings and training."
So as corporations begin to rely more on virtual worlds to hold meetings across the world, this brings up issues related to global workplace software. Let's say you have a blind person working in a London office who is required to attend a virtual training session hosted by her supervisor, based in New York City. Without some means of equivalent accommodation, she can't attend that training in the virtual world.
This becomes a sticky legal concern on the part of employers. The International Standards Organization document ISO 9241-171 provides guidelines on the accessible design of workplace software. One of the core concepts is that of equitable use: workplace software must provide equivalent experience and utility for people with disabilities.
By not providing employees an inclusive virtual environment for that blind employee in London, she cannot attend that meeting. It could then be argued that the company had not provided that worker the tools she needed to do her job effectively. Is this where the digital workplace could be heading?
Many people don't realize that accessibility is a design attribute that informs common usability goals. Usability is the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with satisfaction within a context of use. Accessibility focuses on including people with disabilities as those specified users, taking into account a range of assistive technologies as those contexts. What we're after with respect to virtual worlds is to design an interface experience so that more people can effectively use it in more situations.
What we're building to is this potentially important questions: how will we define, on a legal and technical level, what public accommodation means with respect to virtual worlds?
I don't have the answer to that question. I do know, however, that the answer lies in the elevating of assumptions to expectations.
In an article published in the Spring 2009 issue of Access, Diane Carr stated that "We need to consider the expectations and assumptions about disability — or any other aspect of identity — that are carried into virtual worlds from our everyday lives." I think she was talking about the increased transparency that people begin to encounter when they immerse themselves in virtual environments. Their whole notion of the body, and the neurological responses that occur in the physical world as a result, create in tandem a very compelling case for accommodation and inclusivity within the digital space.
These ideas reinforce to me the importance of considering the social and cultural factors of accessibility, as well as the technology required to enable its implementation. The difference between virtual worlds and other computer programs is the degree to which users identify with their profile, as well as how fiercely they connect and defend their respective communities of practice. Often these aspects of behavior transcend from the offline world to the virtual, and we as designers need to be receptive to these changing needs of our users.
Illustration: Scene from the Apollo region in Second Life.
As a digital society, our greatest need remains a sense of advocacy and empathy with respect to users. Companies need to continue investigating, funding, and endorsing accessibility improvements in their interface systems. Development and design teams need to consider the integration of virtual technology beyond the metaphor of gameplay, both in terms of the software itself and the input devices necessary for its successful operation.
The end in mind to which we must all aspire — game developers, user experience professionals, educators and accessibility advocates — is the endorsement of barrier-free access for technology users of all abilities. I'm excited to see where all of this is going to go, and I don't pretend to have all the answers. But it certainly is exciting.
I think what makes all of this so fascinating is that Nicholas Negroponte predicted such developments fifteen years ago, in his book Being Digital. The idea that virtual computing will at one point become ubiquitous with the way we live is less futuristic than Negroponte may have considered in 1996. To me, a truly digital world has less to do with technology and more to do with behavior. Virtual worlds are (perhaps) one small incremental step towards transforming the way we live our lives, the way we view ourselves, and ultimately how we look after and care for one another.
Illustration: Scene from one of many nightclubs in Second Life, attended by people who may or may not have a real-world disability.
Thanks.
Contact me via email at Kel [dot] Smith [at] anikto [dot] com.
Follow me on Twitter at anikto and kelsmith.